Victoria Derbyshire to be joined by UNITE'S Martin McMulkin on Channel 5 tomorrow at 9pm to remember Ellen Strange

 

Channel 5 TV programme at 9pm on Wednesday 11^th January will see Unite activist Martin McMulkin join Victoria Derbyshire to REMEMBER ELLEN STRANGE: OPPOSE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

 

Trailer:- https://fb.watch/hYhSyTmKb0/

Hopefully, (especially friends of mine as I have mentioned it enough!) you’ll know the story of Ellen Strange, who was murdered by her husband on Holcombe Moor over 250 years ago and ever since when local people have laid stones on the site in her memory – making it the oldest site in the world to commemorate a domestic violence victim.

 

I discovered all this as part of my work for Unite Education when I came across a booklet – Ellen Strange: a moorland murder mystery explained written many years ago in 1989 by John Simpson on behalf of the Helmshore Local History Society. John was good enough to give permission for it to be republished and Martin, persuaded the NW Unite region to find £2,000 to get it printed in 2015. This can be viewed at:  https://markwritecouk.files.wordpress.com/2018/10/ellen-strange-booklet.pdf

 

The funds also helped to pay for expenses for an Annual Commemoration walk (which following the monsoon like conditions we experienced on the first one in November is now on the second Sunday each July) up to the stones high on the hills and for refreshments at a local church – Emanuel Church Holcombe, who’ve been brilliant, on the return. https://www.burytimes.co.uk/news/20259650.ellen-strange-remembered-historic-site-holcombe/

 

This walk has been organised by a Commemoration Committee in which the role of Bolton’s Endeavour Project and Linda Charnock (especially), Carole Marsden and Michelle Daubeney has been key. We’ve had DV survivors on the walks and at the commemoration site the names of all DV victims in the previous year have been read out. It is very emotional.

 

We have also made three short films, the latest of which THE LIGHT THAT STILL BURNS directed by Adam Marseille is at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPMaOEroepU

 

Now on Wednesday 11^th January 2023 at 9pm on Channel 5 the Ellen Strange story will feature in

the No Place Like Home one hour programme made by Hungry Bear Media https://www.hungrybearmedia.co.uk

 

in which journalist and news broadcaster Victoria Derbyshire comes home to Greater Manchester. https://www.channel5.com/show/no-place-like-home

 

The trailer for the programme is at: - https://fb.watch/hYhSyTmKb0/

 

Mark Metcalf 07392 852561 metcalfmc@outlook.com @markmetcalf07

A member of the NUJ and Football Writers’ Association